Cultivator



(No Model.)

E. P. LYNCH.

GULTIVATOR. N0.257,228. Patented Maym.

i UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE.

EDWARD P. LYNCH, oE DAVENPORT, IowA.

CU LTIVATO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of" Letters Patent No. 257,228, dated May 2, 1882.

Application filed February 24, 1382.

To alla-hom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD P. LYNCH, of Davenport, in the county ot' Scott and State of Iowa, have invented certain Improvements in Oultivators, &c., of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of wheeled cultivators and other machines in which vertically and laterally swinging drag bars or beams are employed to carry the shovels or other cultivating-instruments, and particularly to those machines wherein springs are employed to elcvatc or assist in elevating the beams above an operative position.

Various plans have been heretofore devised for applying the lifting-spring in connection with the beams, the most generally approved plan at the present time being that of providing a horizontal pipe-box or pipc-coupling,-to which the beam is pvoted, with an upright .arm jointed to the lower end of a verticallysliding rod, which latter is urged downward by means of a spiral spring. To this construction there are various objections, one of which is that the downward pressure of the lifting-spring tends to cause undue friction between thc axle and the coupling-box.

My invention is designed more particularly to avoid this difficulty by arranging a springactuated lifting-arm in such manner as to be entirely independent of the pipe box or coupling.

The accompanying drawings represent my device in its preferred form, the device being, however, susceptible of minor changes in form and arrangement.

Figure l represents a perspective view of one side of an ordinary wheeled cultivator with 'my device applied thereto. Fig. 2 represents a vertical central section through the same. Fig. 3 represents a longitudinal vertical section through the-same. Y

Themachine represented in the drawings. is of the ordinary class of wheeled walking-cultivators, which consist of an arched frame or axle sustained at its ends by ground-wheels, and having vertically and laterally swinging bars coupled or jointed at their forward ends to the ends of the axle inside of the wheels. This type of machine being familiar to all persons skilled in the art, and forming no part of (No model.)

the present invention, it is considered unnccv essary to describe the same more in detail.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the arched frame or axle, having its two ends extended horizontally to receive the supportingwheel B, as usual.

C represents a coupling box or sleeve mounted upon the horizontal end ofthe axle in such manner as to revolve freely thereon, the box being provided on its upper and under side with vertical studs or lugs a.

D represents one of the plow-bars, having its forward end fashioned into or provided with abifurcated couplingheador jaw,b,which embraces the coupling-box C,l with its arms mounted upon thejournals d. The journals a permit the beam to swing laterally, while therotation of the box around the axle permits the beam to be moved vertically, in the ordinary manner. The coupling-box and the coupling-head b may be of' any ordinary or suitable construction, the box or sleeve G being cast in a single piece of tubular form, or made of two equal parts, as preferred, both plans being well known in thepart.

E represents the beam-lifting arm, having its lower end forked or divided into two branches, c, which are arranged to straddle the coupling C, and are seated loosely upon and around the main axle I). The arm E thus mounted is free to revolve upon the axle independent of the pipe-box C, so that no strain or `pressure of any kind is communicated therefrom tothe box.

To the upper end ot' the arm E, I connect, by a horizontal pivot, c, the lower end of a vertical sliding rod, F, the upper end ot' which passes through a bearing or arm, G, secured rigidly to the side of the main axle or other suitable part of the machine.

Around the sliding rod F, I mount a spiral spring, E, the upper end of which will bear beneath the plate G, andthe lower end will bear upon the pin or collar on the rod F, whereby the spring will be caused to urge the rod constantly downward.

To the coupling-pin c, or to eitherof the other parts in'the immediate vicinity of the pin, I joint the upper end of a rod or chain, I, extending thence downward and backward to an eyebolt or other attaching device, f, upon the beam or drag-bar D.

ICO

Under the above-described arrangement of partsit will be seen that when the beam is down in an operative position the axle, the pivot e, and the upper end of the rod H will stand in the same, or substantially the same, plane as represented in Figbl, so that little or no strain is exerted upon the beam. Vhen, however, the beam is elevated, the arm E is tipped forward, throwing the pivotal point e out of line with the axle and the bearing G, whereupon the rod H, pressed downward by the spring, urges the arm Eforward upon the' axle, at the same time causing the rod I to'excrt a. lifting strain upon the beam, this strain tending lto elevate the beam above its operative position and lifting the shovel from the ground.

It will be observed that the rod I, with its devices, is located directly or substantially above the vertical axis a, so that the beam is permitted to swing laterally with perfect freedom while subjected to the lifting action of the rod.

In order that the beams may. be suspended in such position as to retain the shovels at the proper depth in the ground, I provide the vertical rodH with a'tbrwardly-projecting arm or finger, J, and the arm E with aforwardly-projecting linger, K, and between these two iingers I mount a strong` spiral spring, L. During the elevation of the plows the spring L has ,little or no effect; but as the beams approach an operative position the arms J and K, movingtoward each other, cause the compression of the spring L, which is Iliade sufficiently strong to check the approach ofthe arms when the beam has reached an operative position, the spring then holding the beams suspended in the position required. The elasticity of the spring L, however, permits the shovels to be depressed, when required, slightly below their normal position, the spring returning them to such position when they are released.

Althoughit is preferred to employ the spring L, it is not a necessary element of the combination, as theliftingmechanism first described may be employed either with or without this secondary spring.

While it is preferred to mount the arm E upon the axle, it may be mounted upon a separate bearing immediately above or below the axle 5 but as such an arrangementwould mod- Having thus described my invention, what 1. In a wheeled cultivator, the combination of the axle, the vertically and laterally swinging beam journaled to the axle, the lifting-arm journaled upon the axle independently ot' the beam coupling, the vertically sliding rod jointed to the lifting-arm, the spring depressing said rod, and the connection extending from the lifting-arm to thc beam, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination of the axle, the coupling-box mounted upon the axle, the beam jointed to the coupling-box, the lifting-arm mounted upon the axle independently of the coupling-box, the vertical rod jointed at one end to the lifting-arm, the spring, and the e011- nection from the beam tothe lifting devices, substantially as shown.

3. In combination with thelaterally and vertically swinging beam, the lilting-arm arranged to swing about a horizontal axis, and a jointed connect-ion between the lifting-arm and the beam, and a spring, applied substantially as described, to urge the upper end ot' the lifting-arm downward.

4. In combination with the beam, the axle, 

